The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.

51-62, 2014
ISSN: 2310-337X
©TIARJ Publications, 2014
www.tiarj.com

Religion, Ethnicity and National Identity: An Analysis of the Islamic

Experience in a Multi-Ethnic and Multi-Religious Malaysian Society
Hj. Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri1, Roziya Abu2, Nor Hafida Hamzah3

1
Institute of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s Thoughts, Universiti Utara Malaysia
2
Department of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia
3
Institute of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s Thoughts, Universiti Utara Malaysia

ABSTRACT: The main thrust of the paper is that religion plays an important role in the national identity
of a Malaysian nation despite its multi-religious nature. The paper looks at the spectrum of the debate
about the identification of Malaysia as an Islamic state and the opposition to this epitaph by some who
feel that by the purpose of its permission of other religions, it will be wrong to describe it as an official
Islamic nation, even though Islam is its officially recognized religion in the constitution. Thus, the paper
concludes that despite the debate about its national identity, Malaysia has moved towards being identified
as an Islamic nation (in fact, a model Islamic nation in the modern world), especially in the international
community, which nonetheless takes adequate care of the interests of other religions by giving them the
space to co-exist with it in a pluralistic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious state.

Keyword: Religion, Islam, Ethnicity, National Identity, Malaysia, Colonization, Constitution

I. Introduction world, from Europe, Africa to the Americas

Religion, ethnicity and national
identity are very crucial in the contemporary
time as many nations continue to witness
wars and political unrest as a result of these
issues. In South East Asia alone, the
problem of religion, ethnicity and national
identity have caused the displacement of the
Rohingya people and brought war to
Thailand and the Philippines with no end in
sight. In Asia generally, it is presently
dividing the Muslims in Syria and Lebanon
whose people’s quest for democracy has
degenerated into sectarian war along
religious, tribal and ethnic lines. In the
– North and South – religion and ethnicity
continues to play a big role on the national
identity of the people and this has created a
big gulf among people in their societies,
especially in Africa where ethnic and
religious crises are endless.
However, amidst all these divides
along religious and ethnic lines in deciding
the national identity of the people, Malaysia,
a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation
with Islam as the official religion, continues
to enjoy peace and harmony and has become
a shining example of an Islamic society with
all the trappings of Madinah – the first

Corresponding Author : Hj. Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri , PhD Scholar, Institute of Tun Dr.
Mahathir Mohamad’s Thoughts, Universiti Utara Malaysia.
 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation of
Islam built by the prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w). Although, Islam is the official
religion in Malaysia, other religions
continue to be practiced in the nation in
peace and without any hindrance and the
people of different ethnicities continue to
live with one another in peace and harmony.
The success of this multi-ethnic and
multi-religious nation in uniting different
peoples and religions is however not without
its own difficulties and tensions. Compared
to others, the Malaysian nation is far ahead
in terms of religious and ethnic relations but
nonetheless, there continues to be nervous
moments and tension in the polity especially
as it concerns Islam as the official religion
and the Islamization program of the
government.
In view of the above, this paper
analyzes the role of Islam in the Malaysian
nation and in building national identity in
the Malaysian society – vis-à-vis Islam and
other religions on the one hand, and the
Malay ethnic nationality and other ethnic
nationalities on the other. In order to
properly carry out the aim and objective of
this paper, it is divided into five parts ; i) the
position of Islam in the Malaysian nation
especially its place and role, ii) the
relationship between religion and national
identity in the Malaysian nation, iii) the
concept of tolerance in Islam and its
application in the Malaysian nation, iv) the
view of the non-Muslims in the Malaysia
nation concerning Islam as the official
religion of the state and the program of the
government on Islamization, and v) the
conclusion of the paper on this issue.
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II. Islam in Malaysia
“The first political and social fact of life of
Malaysia is and has been the relationship of
religion and ethnicity” (Mehden, 1993, cited
in Esposito and Voll, 1996:126). Given this
statement, there are significant questions
which beg for answers concerning the
picture of a future Malaysia. How and in
what way could religion (Islam) could
possibly formulate homogeneity and unify
the different ethnicities in Malaysia? To
what extent would the perception of
Malaysians towards Islamization influence
the formation of national identity? These
questions need to be examined with deep
and incisive contemplation.
The uniqueness of Malaysia lies in
its multi-ethnic and multi-religious
structures. Based on the survey by the
Department of Statistic on Malaysian
Population and Housing Census in 2010, the
total population of Malaysia was “28.3
million of which 91.8 per cent were
Malaysian citizens and 8.2 per cent were
non-citizens. Malaysian citizens consist of
the ethnic groups named Bumiputera
(67.4%), Chinese (24.6%), Indians (7.3%)
and others (0.7%). Among the Malaysian
citizens, the Malays were the predominant
ethnic group in Peninsular Malaysia which
constituted 63.1 per cent. The Ibans were
constituted 30.3 per cent of the total citizens
in Sarawak while Kadazan/Dusun made up
24.5 per cent of the total citizens in Sabah”
(www.statistics.gov.my).
Islam is the official religion of the
country and its identification as the official
religion of the Federation has been
preserved in article 3 by the 1957
constitution. At the same time, the
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 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
constitution also gives freedom for the
practice of other religions in peace and
harmony in any part of the Federation (Adil,
2007b: Esposito and Voll, 1996: Nagata,
1997).
Islam has had its special position in
Malaysia since the era of Malay traditional
kingdom in the fourteenth century. It served
as the main code of governance and as a
core element of Malay identity. This was
evidently pointed out by Esposito and Voll
(1996) in their argument that, “Traditionally
in the Malay States, all aspects of
government were, if not directly derived
from religious sources and principles,
cloaked with an aura of religious sanctity”
(1996:125). One other related view on the
significance of Islam as the state religion of
Malaysia was put forward by Harding
(1996) when he argues that, one of the main
reason such provision has been included in
the Federation Constitutions is to maintain
social stability. Therefore, by considering
these facts, one can argue that the
guaranteed position of Islam in the Federal
Constitution has impacted positively not
only on the governmental system but also,
Islam can be seen as an underlying factor in
the formation of national identity in
Malaysia despite the presence of other
religions in the nation.
Interestingly, however, the question
of whether Malaysia is an Islamic country or
not, still remains polemic. In 1999, Dr
Mahathir Mohamed the former Prime
Minister made a declaration calling
Malaysia an Islamic nation through the
government’s promotion of the inculcation
of Islamic values in Malaysian work ethics
(Omar and Che Dan, 2006). Later, in 2004
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former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi, in a rather bold declaration of
Malaysia as an Islamic country launched and
simultaneously made an official
documentation of Islam Hadhari. Thus,
echoing the fact that Islam plays an
important role in the image of the nation.
But this announcement, some believe
was not followed by any amendment to the
Federal Constitution (Adil, 2007a) which is
necessary for the country to truly bear this
image of an Islamic nation. However, for
both Omar and Che Dan (2006), they
believe that such national declarations, even
though not explicitly stated in the
constitution, have influenced many
Malaysian policies through the
implementation of Islamic principles which
are intended to improve Malaysian society
as a whole (particularly Malay-Muslim
community) in its quest to develop into a
progressive nation. Reflecting on this view,
one can generally highlight that Malaysia is
going one step further to forming its new
Islamic identity in facing the challenge of
globalization and nation building.
Nonetheless, in this sense, even though
Malaysia seemingly has a space to make
transformation or change its current
position, it still has to face the reality of its
socio-political structure as a multi-religious
and multi-ethnic nation.
Meanwhile, contrary to the
assertions of the two former Prime Ministers
above, since the time of Tunku Abdul
Rahman, who was the first Prime Minister
of Malaysia, the formation of an Islamic
identity for this country was never affirmed.
The Tunku visions Malaysia as a secular
country as he postulated that “in a previous
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 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
statement I made on religion I mentioned
that this country is a secular state. It means
that it is not a Muslim state. Islam is the
official religion of this country, but other
religions have a right to play their part as far
as religion is concerned” and “A Muslim
state for Malaysia is definitely out of the
question, though the Muslims would like to
see this happen. We have to consider other
races who have helped the country to
achieve independence” (Rahman, 1986,
cited in Abdullah, 1998:208).
The first Prime Minister of Malaysia
does not stand alone on this position, as Neo
(2006) has put forth a similar argument. He
claims that Article 3 in the constitution
would only be practiced as a Muslim
personal and customary laws, whereas, the
non-Malays have received assurances that
the character of the nation would be multi-
ethnic and secular. However, this statement
is doubtful because, although he holds that
the designation of Islam as the official
religion has been understood by the three
parties who were involved in the
constitutional bargain to be only of symbolic
effect, but, Aziz Bari (2000) points out that
as a religion of the Federation, the provision
in Article 12(2), that allows the use of
official funding to promote and facilitate
Islamic institutions, proves that Islam has a
special position which is superior to any
other religions in the Federation and is not
merely symbolic as Neo (2006) says.
Another argument that stresses that
Malaysia is not an Islamic state was put
forward by Nagata (1997). According to her,
although Islam is the official religion in
Malaysia, it still cannot be fully accepted
that it is an Islamic nation. Her view is
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based on the Malaysian jurisdiction law
system in which the Federal constitution
provides for a dual system of civil and
religious (Shariah) courts. Civil courts have
general jurisdiction over all civil and
criminal matters while Shariah courts only
apply shariah law to Muslims personal
issues (Neo, 2006). Nagata argues that in the
event that the jurisdiction or decision of the
two parallel sets of legal courts, secular and
shariah, conflict, the latter shall be
subordinated to the former, and all must be
consistent with Federal law and with the
constitution (Jusoh, 1991, cited in Nagata,
1997:135). In other words, this shows that
the common law and constitution are
superior to the Islamic law in the nation and
this therefore affirms the secular nature of
the nation which necessary strips it of the
epitaph of an Islamic nation.
But, in contrast to the above,
Hamayotsu (2003) argues that although the
jurisdiction of shariah courts still remains
restricted to matters concerning Malays
personal laws, the amendment of the federal
constitution in 1988 which added Article
121(1A) to ensure that decisions made
within the jurisdiction of shariah courts
could not be reserved by the civil courts has
given more jurisdictional leverage to the
shariah courts. As such, to refute those
arguments that indicate that Malaysia is a
secular state, Aziz Bari (2000) holds that
compared to the Indian constitution which
clearly states that the country is a secular
state; the Malaysian Federal constitution is
soundless on this matter. Thus, he posits,
Malaysia is not a secular state per se. Hence,
according to Shad Faruqi, “Malaysia is
neither a full-fledged Islamic state nor
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 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
wholly secular”, but “in view of the fact that
Muslims constitute the majority of the
population, and Islamization is being
vigorously enforced, Malaysia can indeed be
described as an Islamic or Muslim country”
(Adil, 2007:13-14). In addition to his
previous statement, Adil says that there is no
such conclusive word in the federal
constitution or historical evidence to show
that the country was meant to be a secular
state (1997:14).
From all these polemics, it can be
argued that Malaysia tries to balance
between the secular and Islamic. It gives
opportunity to apply Islamic values in the
regime system and on the other side gives
freedom to other believers to practice their
own religion. Therefore, it is safe to say
Malaysia is a country which revolves
between the secular and Islamic system.
Besides, it also depends, to a large extent, on
who is in control of the regime and what
kind of aim the regime intends to pursue in
its mode of governance. Having said this, as
far as this contentious issue is concerned,
there is a very important fact that cannot be
denied as pointed out by Nagata, which is
that “it is also constitutionally required that
the Prime Minister be a Malay, as is also
true of the chief ministers of the individual
states” (Nagata, 1997:134). Thus, as long as
the constitution, as the supreme law, is been
followed, the vagueness and contentious
nature of this issue will slowly subside
because it is bound to be apparent that Islam
takes precedent in everything in the nation –
including in deciding the leaders of the
nation as it will be seen in the discussion
below.
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III. The relationship between religion
and national identity
Religion and identity have a very strong
relationship. Both have deep structures and
both may feed upon each other. Religion not
only has the ability to shape the form of
individual identity but also has the capability
to construct the national identity of a nation
state. Putting this in perspective, Safran
argues that, “it was religion that was at the
root of collective identity and that provided
the foundation of the state” (Safran,
2008:171). In other words, religions have
preceded the nation-state; have served as the
basis of the collective awareness of the
nation and the foundation of sovereignty.
They have been a major institutional support
of the state.
Safran avers that in many cases,
religion has been the bedrock of nation-
building and, even today; it is difficult to
separate a number of national identities from
their religious matrices. For instance it is
hard to separate Greek, Hindu, Israeli,
Pakistani, Polish, Sikh, and Tibetan national
identities from their respective religions.
Subsequent from this perspective, it can be
suggested that for a country like Malaysia,
Islam as the official religion with more than
60 per cent believers of the citizens, it is not
impossible to bring up Islam as a
fundamental of national identity. When one
talks about the relationship between religion
and national identity in Malaysia, the issue
of ethnicity will automatically emerged.
Ethnicity has salient influence on the notion
of Malaysian national identity and until now
it is still an issue of debate. This debate
about ethnicity began when “Tanah Melayu”
(Malay Land) achieved independence in
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 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
1957 from the British colonial master where
the population was already multi-ethnic. The
concept of ethnicity or race had never been
in existence before colonization as all
citizens were “rakyat raja” (king’s citizens)
and they had to give their loyalty to the king.
According to Mauzy (1999:47), before
British colonial rule was established in the
late nineteenth century, the Malay Peninsula
(Tanah Melayu) was an under populated and
relatively ethnically homogeneous area
controlled by a number of Malay rulers and
powerful chiefs residing in reasonably well-
defined territorial units. This shows that
colonization altered the original identity of
Malay Land leading consequently to the
national identity confusion presently.
However, even though British
colonial master did change a lot of Malay
Land original structure particularly in the
administrative system which eroded the
power of the Sultans (Malay kings), British
still acknowledged the significance of Islam
and Malay custom by not interfering in both
matters. As highlighted by Case (2002),
British mediated prominently and
specifically in appointing residents and
advisors to Sultans in order to administer the
Malay community leaving out issues of
religion and custom because the constitution
clearly states that Islamic affairs and Malay
customs are under the different Sultans’
jurisdiction.
In the contemporary time, however,
Malaysia is practicing a Westminster-style
parliamentary democracy with constitutional
monarchy on the British pattern (Haneef,
2001). The monarchy system remained in
the Malaysian regime system as a symbol of
the sovereignty of the state. In relation to
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both Islam and constitutional monarchy,
Malaysia is the only country in the world to
have an elected king and he must be a
Muslim king. With this unique feature,
Bakar (1991) states that the reigning sultans
of its nine federating states have to elect a
king among themselves (Yang di-Pertuan
Agong) every five years. The Agong is the
Head of State and Head of Islam for the
whole nation and have the right to determine
‘the extension of any (Islamic) religious
acts, observances or ceremonies to the
Federation as a whole’. Generally speaking,
this high standard of monarchy system not
just articulates the uniqueness of the country
but also the image and the national identity
of the nation.
Apparently Islam has become a
visible symbol in Malaysian politics. Bakar
(1991) argues that the state had already
acquired certain notable Islamic
characteristics at the time of its birth. More
so now that Islam has become its dominant
national character. Grounded on this
argument, it is clearly seen that subsequent
governments, and the current government,
have put Islam as a bench-mark to the
formation of the image of Malaysia.
Therefore, these governments significantly
expanded their involvement in Islamic
affairs in an attempt to strengthen the
Islamic characteristic of the nation.
Here are some examples of what one
may consider evidences of government
efforts at the Islamization of the country’s
image: provision of greater support for
expanded coverage of Islam in the media
and in school curriculum; establishment of
an International Islamic University (IIUM),
as well as Islamic studies faculties in various
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 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
existing universities; creation of an Islamic
bank and insurance company (takaful);
sponsorship of musabaqah al-Quran,
(Quranic recitation competition); increased
funding for the building of mosques, for
social welfare programs and for propagation
(dakwah) of Islam; establishment of the
Institute for Islamic Understanding (IKIM in
its Malay acronym), Jabatan Kemajuan
Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), creation of public
funded pilgrim’s saving fund (Tabung Haji)
and by convening international Islamic
conferences on everything from Islamic
philosophy and law to economics and
sciences (Nagata, 1997, Esposito and Voll,
1996, Roff, 1998).
However, Esposito and Voll (1996),
see all these efforts in political terms. They
believe that all these hallmarks that emerged
from the government efforts derived from
the hidden intention to prevent the
strengthening of the opposition, The Islamic
Party of Malaysia (PAS), whose campaign
slogan is Islam and the entrenchment of
Islamic values in the society. PAS tend
towards making the country a purely Islamic
country. In other words, in the opinion of
Esposito and Voll (1996), the government
contribution towards developing Islam in
Malaysia is more to preserve the power of
the ruling party rather than building 100 per
cent pure Islamic country or a nation with
Islamic identity.
Looking at this argument above, it
seems that both Esposito and Voll (1996)
did not take cognizance of the structure of
the Malaysian society which is multi-
religious, multi-cultural, and multi-ethnic as
inherited from the British era, thus the ruling
government could not drastically change
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Malaysia to a full fledge Islamic country.
That is why even though the government
gives extra attention to developing and
entrenching Islam, yet it also give equal
opportunity to the other believers to practice
their religions and cultures. This is why, as
Daniels (2005) points out, the Malaysian
government has promoted interracial and
inter-religious participation in festivities
(namely Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year,
Deepavali, and Christmas) and ‘open house’
visiting as a means to develop and enhance
social solidarity amongst Malaysia’s diverse
population.
With regards to Islam as a bench-
mark to the formation of Malaysian image
and national identity, Ng Kam Weng (The
Star 25 Aug, 2006) writes that Islam as the
official religion may be considered as the
religion to be a modus operandi for defining
Malaysian identity and that Islam is capable
of addressing the socio-political, economic,
and racial issues of a multi-cultural nation.
Similarly, Nagata (1997:140) expresses the
view that the declaration of Islam as the
official religion in the federal constitution is
seen as a positive force for the kind of
ethno-nationalism that gives Malaysia its
distinctive character. Unfortunately, Nagata
does not give enough insight into how and in
what way Islam could formulate the identity
of Malaysia. Therefore, there is a need to
explore how Islamic revivalism and
perception of Islamization relate to the
formation of Malaysia national identity.
IV. Tolerance in Islam
As discussed above, Islam is enshrined in
the federal constitution, the highest law in
the land, as the sole official religion. This
constitutional provision makes Islam the
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 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
supreme religion. Yet, notwithstanding its
supremacy status, Islam did not restrict
inter-religious coexistence. This obviously
can be seen from Sing (2001) who argues
that religious tolerance is generally well
entrenched in Malaysia compared to many
other religious-pluralist societies. A rather
concrete argument that relate to this scenario
is from Esposito and Voll (1996). They
argued that even though Malaysia is under
Malay-Muslim political dominance, there is
no big conflict among the citizens that could
cause riotous or violent opposition. The
coalition parties can accept the dominant
ruling party and political participation of
Islamic groups and Islamic organizations.
Based on these views, one can infer
that the virtues of tolerance in Islam can be
one of the core values in attempting to
formulate a solid national identity in
Malaysia. It not only plays an influential
role in building the foundation of national
identity, religious tolerance can also be the
main channel in achieving unity and
political stability. Quoting the ex-Prime
Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who
says that “it is important for the citizens of
this country to realize that tolerance of other
religions goes beyond mere co-existence”.
Tolerance, hence, should translate into the
act of “engaging with one another, creating
and sustaining an open dialogue and
building permanent bridges of cooperation
through mutual participation” (New Straits
Times, 4/8/04 cited in Goran Collaste,
2005). In this vein, it is important to note
that the Qur’an as the sacred source in Islam
itself has shown that this religion denounces
of forcing mankind to accept it, hence the
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statement; “Let there be no compulsion in
religion” (Sura Al-Baqara, 256).
From all the above, it is fair to say
that Islam in Malaysia is an underlying
factor of the nation’s identity and it is not
just a source of pride but also a political and
developmental force that would define the
future of Malaysia. Furthermore, Islam is
also seen as being compatible with
modernization and globalization and this
was evidently clear under the Premiership of
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and his government.
Islam was portrayed as a faith and a way of
life that can inform modernization and
development: a system of values that
encourages and supports reason, science and
technology; and as a strong work ethic, as
well as racial and religious tolerance and
harmony (Esposito and Voll, 1996:144).
From this premise, it is clear that the
challenges of modernity and globalization
did not weaken the potentials of Malaysia
with its Islamic values to put itself in the
eyes of the world. As Nagata argues, Islam
in Malaysia has become a “conduit” to a
host of other religious organizations and
interest groups outside Malaysia (Nagata,
1997:130).
In relation to this view above,
Esposito and Voll (1996) point out that the
Malaysian government has become more
visible in its participation in international
Islamic organizations such as the Asia
Pacific Mosque Council and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC). On the whole, in speaking about
Islam as the foundation and source of
identity and political framework of the
country, it is equally important to note that
religion can potentially deflects the loyalties
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 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
of citizens to the control of international
networks, thus, it is a force to be treated
with care, requiring domestication to the
needs of the state.
Thus, in recognition of the above and
in the attempt to prevail on the sense of
loyalty among the citizens, particularly the
Muslims, to the nation, the Malaysian
government introduced and implemented its
own program of Islamization which is
domestic to the nation. A major part of this
program involves public media campaigns
and the introduction of specific religious
activities and strategies through national
channel broadcast. Radio and Television
Malaysia (RTM) has been a potent force
which did most of the broadcast mainly on
TV1 (Roff, 1998). The programs channelled
in on the aspects of Muslims’ life for
instance Qur'an readings and du'a' to open
and close the day's broadcasting; adhan
(calls to prayer) at the fixed prayer times;
daily hadith broadcasting; daily hadith
presentations; magazine, discussion, and
'advice' programs; and regular news of
government Islamic activities (entitled
'From the Pusat Islam'). International
Islamic events of great consequence were
well represented, including rebroadcasts of,
for example, hajj proceedings from Saudi
Arabia (Roff, 1998:227).
Furthermore, Roff states that
Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM)
or the Department of Islamic Development,
is seen as strengthening the role of Islam in
Malaysia by reinforcing the dakwah (Islamic
call). All these scenarios illustrate some
form of collective identity of Muslims in
Malaysia in contrast to others.
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Apart from that, Nagata argues that
Institute for Islamic Understanding (IKIM)
one of the most established Islamic
institutions in Malaysia also has task to
persuade non-Muslims and foreign investors
that Malaysia’s Islam is far from the
fanatical and fundamentalist variety found in
the Middle East or North Africa, and that
Malaysia is a progressive country, not to be
confused with more backward Muslim
regimes elsewhere (Nagata, 1997:141). For
Esposito and Voll (1996), IKIM also has the
additional benefit of both emphasizing
Islamic identity and distancing the
government from Western values.
Moreover, to make sure that there is no bias
message on Islam or misinterpretation, the
government introduced two main media
channels “Suara Islam (Voice of Islam) and
“Islam Vision” TV Service (Nagata,
1997:142). Such composite views, has
shown that Malaysia has intention to put
itself in the world platform in order to have
recognition and esteem.
V. The non-Muslims reaction
Although the government has continued to
emphasize religious plurality and has not
imposed a single system of religion, the non-
Muslims remained nervous and feel uneasy
about the implications of such trend. As
pointed out by Neo (2006) in her article,
Malay Nationalism, Islamic Supremacy and
the Constitutional Bargain in the Multi-
ethnic Composition of Malaysia, the Chinese
are concerned about this movement towards
Islamic supremacy which they feel threatens
their rights as citizens in the country.
However, Esposito and Voll stress that
provisions safeguarding the use and
practicing of other religions were also
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included in the Constitution, “Non-Muslims
had right to practice their religion, own
property, establish religious school, manage
their own affair, and be governed in private
matters by their religious laws and
institutions” (Esposito and Voll, 1996: 126),
and therefore, there is no need for alarm by
the non-Muslims as their interests have been
adequately safeguarded and taken care of.
Whilst Guan (2000), argue that the
process of Islamization in Malaysia will
erode the right of non–Muslim culture to be
in the public space, Yousif (2004) indicates
that there are many rituals and festivals such
as Thaipusam (including Dragon Dance),
which went out of vogue for the past twenty
years but are back in trend in Malaysia today
which shows that non-Muslim cultures are
now thriving in the increasingly Islamic
environment. Protests and complains also
come from the non-Muslim institutions for
instance Malaysia Consultative Council of
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and
Sikhism (MCCBCHS) about the
disadvantage of Islamization for Hindus and
other non-Muslim religions especially
concerning the animosity towards the
building of shrines and temples for their
worship (Hutter, 2004).
Once again this allegation of
animosity and fear of Islamization have been
denied by Yousif (2004) who argues that the
establishment of MCCBCHS itself shows
that the ruling government gives opportunity
to the non-Muslim to have greater say in the
policy-making process. Moreover, in
Kelantan which is being ruled by PAS, a
purely Islamic party, for the last 24 years, a
number of Buddhist temples or Wats have
been built without any problem and they
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attract a large number of devotees on Wesak
Day, a Buddhist festival. The Islamic state
also boasts of having one of the most
magnificent statues of Sitting Buddha which
is said to be the
second largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.
In sum, the openness and readiness of the
Malay-Muslim government to accept and
share political positions with other non-
Muslims has shown that Islamic value does
not deny other religions and their
practitioners their rights but on the other
hand, it gives them the opportunity to
coexist with it in a peaceful and harmonious
manner of mutual respect and mutual benefit
and progress.
VI. Conclusion
From the discussion above, it is clear that
Islam to a very large extent has shaped the
national identity of Malaysia and
Malaysians, especially the Malays who are
ethnically Muslims. While, at the same time
it allows the other religions in the nation the
necessary space for their continued
relevance and practice by the other ethnic
nationalities in the nation.
Although one can concur that it is
very difficult to give Malaysia the epitaph of
an Islamic nation off hand, but looking at
the degree of the arguments above, it is
equally hard to say that it is a secular nation
like any other one. However, it will not be
far off to say that the nation is a
predominantly Islamic nation judging by the
degree of the process of Islamization that
has taken place and presently on-going in
the nation. Moreover, the place of Islam as
guaranteed in the constitution and in the
political leadership of the nation paints it as
a nation that tilts toward Islam. The
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 The International Asian Research Journal 02(04): pp.51-62, 2014
formation of the nation, historically, socially
and politically and its population which is
also predominantly Muslim portrays it as a
nation with all the trappings of Islam which
is apparent to everyone in the socio-cultural
milieu of the nation. The active involvement
of the nation in international Islamic affairs
also paints the nation as Islamic to the
outside world and its exemplary
development and progress which
incorporates Islamic values no less gives it
the logo of a model Islamic nation in the
international arena. Thus, even though it
may not yet be accepted by some within the
nation as a full-fledged Islamic nation, it
nonetheless portray this to many and has
been accepted as such in the international
circle.
In the same vein, its ability to
manage its multi-ethnic and multi-religious
populace despite the fact that Islam is
enshrined in the constitution as the official
religion and the majority of its populace are
Muslims have earned it a place of pride in
the comity of nations and serves as a modern
exemplar of the pristine cosmopolitan,
multi-ethnic and multi-religious Madinah
state established by the prophet of Islam
after his migration to Yathrib, which was
later renamed Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah
by the prophet.
The experience of Malaysia on the
issue of religion, ethnicity and national
identity has shown that Islam, when
properly harnessed and channelled in the
right direction do tolerate, and can tolerate
in the contemporary modern globalized
world, a pluralistic society and religion and
likewise properly takes care of the rights and
interests of the minorities in such a society.
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